Prazeres recorded his seventh consecutive victory, as he eked out a
split decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 17 alum Zak
Cummings in the featured
UFC Fight Night 129 prelim on Saturday at the Movistar Arena in
Santiago, Chile. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28:
Fabio
Alves and Marcelo Vilhena for Prazeres, Chris Lee for
Cummings.

They fought mostly in choppy standup exchanges, with Prazeres
(25-2, 9-2 UFC) leaning on his overhand right and the American
connecting with intermittent left hands. Cummings (21-6, 6-3 UFC)
-- who was cut by an inadvertent head butt inside the first five
minutes -- employed a stifling clinch but saw his gains there
erased by well-timed tactical takedowns from “Trator” in all three
rounds.

Never did it feel like a winnable fight for Moreno (14-5, 3-2 UFC).
Outgunned at virtually every turn, only his toughness kept him
afloat. Pantoja tore into him with both hands, sneaky knee strikes
and steady leg kicks. The Nova Uniao export bloodied Moreno’s nose
with a wicked jab in the first round before drawing him to the mat,
advancing to the back and mauling him with punches.

Moreno’s situation did not improve. Pantoja continued to connect in
combination and refused to stay down when taken down, offering no
refuge for his 24-year-old adversary.

The 29-year-old Botelho (7-1, 2-0 UFC) froze the part-time
professional wrestler with a sizzling liver kick, backed her to the
fence and forced her to turtle at the base of the cage. From there,
she cut loose with unabated right hands until referee Camila
Albuquerque had seen enough.

Botelho has finished four opponents during her current five-fight
winning streak.

Benitez (21-6, 5-2 UFC) decked the
Team Oyama-trained Peruvian with a short, searing left uppercut
inside the first 15 seconds and swarmed for a potential finish.
Perhaps instinctively, Bandenay caught a deep armbar from the
bottom and appeared to be on the verge of an unlikely submission.
Instead, Benitez hoisted him skyward and drove him into the
canvas. The dazed Bandenay released the armbar and was knocked
unconscious by the hammerfists that fell next.

The 29-year-old Benitez has won seven of his past nine bouts.

Tenacious Barzola Subdues Davis

“The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” Season 2 winner Enrique
Barzola extended his winning streak to four fights with a
unanimous decision over Brandon
Davis in a three-round undercard scrap at 145 pounds. Barzola
(15-3-1, 5-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26
marks from the judges.

Part of the Alan
Belcher fraternity in Mississippi, Davis (9-4, 1-2 UFC) was
effective at range but too often allowed the
American Top Team standout to dictate distance. Barzola secured
takedowns in all three rounds, threatened with chokes, piled up
points with ground-and-pound and advanced to the back on multiple
occasions. Davis tried the change the narrative in the third round
and shot for a takedown of his own. Barzola countered with a front
headlock, dragged him to the mat and scrambled into top
position.

Puelles Kneebar Submits Silva

Peruvian prospect Claudio
Puelles submitted Felipe
Silva with a kneebar in the third round of their undercard
pairing at 155 pounds. In his first appearance since Nov. 5, 2016,
Pulles (8-2, 1-1 UFC) closed the deal 2:23 into Round 3.

Silva (8-2, 1-2 UFC) was in complete control until the stoppage.
The CM System representative battered his 22-year-old counterpart
with punches, knee strikes from the clinch, leg kicks and
ground-and-pound in the second round and carried his dominance into
the third. There, he had Puelles reeling on more than one occasion,
having raised a massive hematoma around his left eye. It was not
enough. Silva stuffed a takedown and applied his ground-and-pound,
only to wander into the kneebar. He winced in pain before accepting his
fate.

Puelles has won three of his last four fights.

Saenz Outduels Reeling Briones

Former King of
the Cage champion Frankie
Saenz posted his second win in as many outings, as he captured
a unanimous decision over Enrique
Briones in a preliminary bantamweight battle. All three
cageside judges scored it for Saenz (13-5, 5-3 UFC): 30-27, 30-27
and 30-26.

Briones (16-8-1, 1-4 UFC) countered effectively at times but never
managed to turn the corner. Saenz kept him off-balance for much of
the 15-minute encounter. He executed takedowns in all three rounds,
racked up points with ground-and-pound and performed well in
close-quarters standup exchanges. Saenz sat down the Entram Gym
export with a crackling right hand in the second round and later
opened a small cut near his left eye. Two third-round takedowns
served as punctuation.